Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2597 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-02
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 98 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the most successful martial arts movies of all time, if not the best, Enter the Dragon (filmed in 1973) was Bruce Lee's last completed film and the first significant meeting of Hollywood and Hong Kong cinema. But it wasn't an entirely harmonious marriage, with on-set communication breakdowns and rows resulting in some poor scripting, editing and overdubbing. Lee plays a Shaolin fighter recruited by British intelligence to spy on renegade Shaolin master and crime overlord Han (Shih Kien) by entering the martial arts tournament held on Han's fortress island. If the plot sounds a touch contrived, it is. Han's fluffy white cat, clawed hand and ruthless megalomania suggest nothing so much as a classic Bond villain, and the plot has holes you could pilot a large Junk through (Lee's discovery that his sister committed suicide rather than submit herself to Han's men is particularly weak). Nonetheless, Lee is utterly compelling. At the height of his skills, he choreographed, directed and performed fight scenes which are among the most gripping ever filmed, including the classic underground scene which, in this uncut version, contains Lee's incredible (and previously deleted) nun-chuck display. John Saxon and karate champion Jim Kelly ably support him as fellow contestants, with the massive Yang Sze playing Bolo, Han's lieutenant. Despite being cheesy and overblown, Enter the Dragon is a highly entertaining and accessible Kung Fu film and a showcase for Bruce Lee's considerable skills. --Duncan Thomson

Synopsis
Featuring masterful kung fu action by the legendary Bruce Lee, ENTER THE DRAGON is one of most renowned martial arts film of all time. The opium-smuggling plot is secondary to amazing and violent action scenes. The 25th anniversary edition features additional footage, an interview with Lee's widow, Linda Lee Caldwell, and "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words," a behind-the-scenes documentary.

Customer Reviews

Enter The World's Greatest
Enter The Dragon is considered by many to be the greatest martial arts movie of all time and it's almost 30 years old. It was made on a small budget which doesn't show, even in comparison to recent movies of the genre. It has exotic locations on a worldwide scale such as Kowloon, a cast of thousands and a credible actor, John Saxon who was at the time a big star but stayed second billing to Bruce Lee because when Lee was on screen nobody else got noticed anyway. There's the excellent music score by Lalo Schifrin who was the man behind the original Mission Impossible theme and of course...Action! With such varied and visually stunning styles as Tai Chi Chuan, Hapkido, Tai Kwan Do, Karate and Lee's invention Jeet Kune Do the action has never looked so unpredictable. This new DVD edition was well worth waiting for. If you've got any other version of this movie, get this anyway. For the first time in the UK it is completely uncut, with the infamous nunchaku scene reinstated, and it's even got extra scenes placed in the movie which were not even in the original cinema release. Where this special edition really shines though is in the extras. Along with the trailers and a workout documentary from 1973, it has extras on it that have been made specifically for this edition such as an interview with Lee's wife Linda Lee Cadwell who can be the only person to have known the truth about his life unlike so many other imitations such as Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story which although hugely enjoyable was inaccurate and over stylised. In the boxset you get 10 exclusive postcards, a copy of the press release brochure and lobby cards. The soundtrack has been reproduced to brilliant effect and the improved picture quality could not have been better, with the visual quality of a movie from today. If you like Bruce Lee, martial arts or action movies in general and don't buy this...You're losing out! Region 2 users usually get a bad deal with extras compared to the rest of the world, but it's nice to see that a lot of time and effort has been put into this ultimate special edition box set. Own this now!

Outstanding
With his untimely death, Enter the Dragon stands as the lynchpin of Lee's film legacy. It's one of the best action flicks of the '70s and a bona fide milestone in martial arts cinema.

Lee is at the peak of his form, showing off his astounding grace and prowess in fight sequences he himself choreographed.

It was with this film that Bruce Lee made the tranquil, passive martial artist - who's a demon unleashed in combat - into an international screen icon. Any action fan who hasn't seen Enter the Dragon (are there any?) definitely should.

Ahead of its time
The title of my review says it all really. I never write reviews but I had to defend such hideously of the mark reviews provided by people such as "Sam_the_man". What a gimp. Bruce Lee is the landmark martial artist for all films of that genre. To say that any martial arts film is better than enter the dragon is nonsense, as without it none of these other Asian superstars and the films they bring with them that you see today would even exist.

The plot may be sketchy, but what martial arts film isn't? You don't buy a pack of Jaffacakes and expect Jammydogders do you? If you buy a martial arts film then don't expect complicated plot. It's a martial arts film; don't expect it to be any more than that. The fight scenes are incredible considering the film is 30years old, way ahead of its time. The choreography is stunning and Lee's speed and power are unimaginable. The film was one of the first that took note of how the henchmen fell after a blow, how their head deflected after absorbing a kick or strike. Films of the time had people bouncing around with strings and men flying through the air after being struck.

In fact it competes with nearly every modern Kung fu film to date. The only film around that same wow factor as Enter the Dragon did upon its release is Eng Bak, which admittedly is phenomenal; with again no plot and just fantastic fight scenes...Tony Jaa will be huge.

Do not watch Enter the Dragon in 2007 expecting it to be something it isn't. Watch it in 2007 and remember it for the endless classic it is, the benchmark and the first of its kind, a platform for other martial artists to mirror.

There isn't a serious martial artist (including Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Tony Jaa) alive today who will contest what Bruce Lee did for the world of martial arts. They all idolised him and tried to emulate his success. It was his endless hours of hard work, endeavour and training that took the world by storm at a time when no1 in the west knew what kung fu was.

Watch it as if you are watching it upon its release 30 years ago and then you will appreciate it for what it is.

Bruce Lee R.I.P